Plates in a press especially a daylight press process and device for separating the press boards pressed on loading

ABSTRACT

A process and device for separating pressed panels from loading plates in a daylight press. After the panels have been pressed, lifting members engage with the respective panels by frictional, vacuum or mating means. While the above are thus held, the respective loading plates are removed from under the panels. The force with which the lifting members hold the pressed panels being greater than the adhesion between the loading plates and the panels permits the separation.

sapt. 25, 1973 w U R 3,761,337

PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR SEPARATING THE PRESS BOARDS PRESSED ON LOADING PLATES IN A PRESS, ESPECIALLY A DAYLIGHT PRESS Filed Oct- 5 1970 2 ShIOtB-Shdet 1 Sapt. 25, 1973 w HUTTER 3,761,337

PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR SEPARATING THE PRESS BOARDS PRESSED ON LOADING PLATES IN A PRESS. ESPECIALLY A DAYLIGHT PRESS .Filed Oct. 5, 1970 2 Shoots-Sheet 2 Fig.5

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"United States Patent 01 hoe 3,761,337 PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR SEPARATING THE PRESS BOARDS PRESSED ON LOADING PLATES IN A PRESS, ESPECIALLY A DAYLIGHT PRESS Wilhelm Hiitter, Krefeld, Germany, assignor to Becker & van Hullen Niederrheinische Maschinenfabrik, Krefeld, Germany Continuation-impart of abandoned application Ser. No. 674,694, Sept. 25, 1967. This application Oct. 5, 1970, Ser. No. 78,163 Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 26, 1966,

P 16 53 258.4 Int. Cl. B32b 31/16 US. Cl. 156-447 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A process and device for separating pressed panels from loading plates in a daylight press. After the panels have been pressed, lifting members engage with the respective panels by frictional, vacuum or mating means. While the above are thus held, the respective loading plates are removed from under the panels. The force with which the lifting members hold the pressed panels being greater than the adhesion between the loading plates and the panels permits the separation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a process and a device for separating pressed panels which have been pressed on loading plates in a press, particularly in a multi-story press. The present application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 674,694, filed Sept. 25, 1967, now abandoned.

As is well known, the material to be pressed in multistory presses is first stacked on so-called loading plates which are then introduced into the press. After the ensuing pressing, the unit consisting of the loading plate and the pressed panel is drawn out into a so-called discharge station, which usually has the same number of stories asthe press. The pressed panels are then separated from the loading plates in this discharge station. The loading plates travel back to be stacked anew with material to be pressed, while the completed panels are removed from the separation station for future use and are appropriately stacked.

It is known to employ a stripper arranged at the forward edges of the press plates and to pull away the loading plates from under the panels, while holding back the pressed panels by means of this stripper, in order to separate the pressed panels from the loading plates.

This type of separation is particularly disadvantageous when separating thin panels because they slip through and their separation is thus prevented. Furthermore the edges of the pressing plates are not always straight, so that the stripper moves the pressed panels obliquely and these may be broken under such conditions.

An entirely different disadvantage is the following:

It occasionally happens that the pressed panels stick to the loading plates with substantial adhesive force. It can therefore occur, that the stripper or the pulling and gripping device will be overloaded and the entire separating mechanism will be broken.

The object of the invention is to overcome these con- 3,764,337 Patented Sept. 25, 1973 siderable disadvantages in the separation of the loading plates and pressed panels from one another.

The gist of the present invention can be easily understood by performing a simple experiment. A smaller sheet of smooth paper is placed on a larger sheet of similar paper. Ordinarily, the larger sheet of paper can not be separated from the smaller, since the sheets stick to one another. By pressing a finger, lightly, on the smaller upper sheet, the larger bottom sheet can be readily pulled away, while the smaller paper sheet will remain in its original position. This is due to the fact that the force imposed by the pressure with the finger is greater than the force of adhesion between the two sheets of paper. As will be noticed, the separation of the sheets is effected with a relatively slight pressure force. It will be apparant that it would be disadvantageous to use a finger in a machine to hold a pressboard (the equivalent of the small sheet of paper) while the loading plate is being separated from the former.

The invention concerns itself, therefore, with a process and device for separating of pressed panels from loading plates in a press, in particular in a multi-story press, e.g. fiber panels or veneer panels, whereby the pressed panel and the loading plate are removed from one another by oppositely directed forces, one of which acts on the pressed panel and the other on the loading plate, these forces being greater than the usual adhesive or frictional forces acting between the pressed plate and the loading plate. According to the invention, the force engagement at the pressed panel is no longer effected by means of a stripper arranged at the front edge, but by means of a member emplaceable on a modified outer surface of the press plate. The force acting on the pressed material through this member and engaging therewith may be a frictional force or a mating force. In the first instance, the part of the member disposed on the pressed panels is advantageously provided with a high friction coefiicient. In this manner it is already possible to achieve, while using a small pressing force on the superimposed member, holding the pressed panel while the press plate is pulled away. The high coefficient of friction may be achieved, for example by selecting rubber or a similar substance with a profiled'surface, as a suitable material for the member.

The emplaceable member proper may be made in various embodiments. One advantageous embodiment consists of a bellows member arranged between the pressed panel and a support. In this case, to separate the pressed panel from the loading plate, it is only necessary to pump up the bellows which will then press against the pressed panel and will hold it back when the loading plate is pulled away.

Instead of a bellows, a suction cup, which may be lowered or raised, may be provided between the pressed panel and a support. Similarly, it is possible to provide a die which may be pressed on the pressed panel.

In addition to these force-engaging devices, the method according to the invention may also be realized by means of mating devices. One such embodiment consists of a vertically displaceable pin board arranged between the panel and a support. When the pin board is lowered, the pin points bite into the surface of the pressed panel and thus hold this while the loading plate is pulled back.

It will be apparent that the above devices may be advantageously secured directly on the discharge station and to interconnect, in multi-story presses, all the devices for carrying out the inventive process, so that these are controlled by a common control mechanism, whereby the several pressed panel may be separated simultaneously from the loading plates in the discharge station.

An embodiment of the device for carrying out the method according to the invention is described below in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a press with loading and emptying mechanisms;

FIG. 2 is a section on line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the press of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detail view of a press section and the emptying station illustrating various modifications of the member mounted on the press plate; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line VV of FIG. 4.

The installation shown in FIGS. 1-3 comprises a transfer frame 1, a daylight press 2, a discharge frame 3 and a further transfer frame 4. A loading frame 5 provided with tiers of sheet iron is adapted for moving sideways into the transfer frame 1 and can be moved vertically to the level of the pressure and heating plates of the press 2. Material to be pressed is loaded on the loading plates 6, before the loading frame is moved into the press. The loading plates are moved into the spaces between the pressing and heating plates by an appropriate mechanism (not shown). Following the pressing cycle, the loading plates 6, with the pressed material are pulled into the tiers 8 of the discharge frame 3, which are at the same level. The loading plates 6 are separated from the panels of pressed materials and held in a fixed position. Loading plates 6 are then pulled in the direction of arrow B (FIG. 3) into the following transfer frame 4. Another loading frame 9 is provided in the transfer frame 4. The loading frame 9 is vertically displaceable in the same manner as the load frame 5 and can be moved out of the installation in the direction of arrow C (FIG. 3). The discharge frame 3 is displaceable vertically by means of a lifting mechanism (not shown), so that the pressed panels 10, disposed on the tiers 8 may be carried to the level of a discharge device 11 and thence moved onto a lift plate 12.

FIG. 4 shows the individual tiers 8 of the press and the emptying frame 3, on an enlarged scale. A loading plate 6 and a pressed panel are arranged on each tier 8. Members 14 are emplaceable on pressed panels 10 on the individual tiers by means of a common control member 13.

These members 14 can be designed in various ways; for the sake of simplicity a different type of member is shown on each tier. In practice, the same type of member would naturally be chosen.

As may be further seen in FIG. 4, there are several possibilities for holding the pressed plate 10 during the lateral withdrawal of the loading plate 6, on the bottom side of the topmost story 8 of the discharge frame 3 there is secured a support 15. This support may consist of a plate or the like, which is mounted securely on the underside of the upper story 8. A bellows 14a is mounted on the support 15 and is in folded condition when not inflated. The bellows 14a, which is shown only schematically, is provided with a secure and reinforced bottom which serves for mounting on the pressed panel 10 and thus for holding securely the pressed panel 10 during the withdrawal of the loading plate. The bellows and the member shown under the bellow folds and lying on the pressed panel 10, is the bottom of the bellows 14a, which is appropriately provided with a reinforcing plate. The bellows are disposed on the support 15. This is necessary in order to fill the discharge frame with the loading plate and the pressing plate.

Before the loading plate 6 is drawn out, the bellows 14 is pumped up by a device (not shown) until the bottom 14a lies, under pressure, on the plate 10. This phase is shown in the top portion of FIG. 4. Finally, the loading plate 6 may be withdrawn sideways, while the pressed panel 10 is being securely held.

The member may also be in the form of a lever arm 16 and a profiled substance 14b. At it may be a plate. Other design possibilities include a suction cup 140. and a pin board 140, in which case these latter are advantageously guided by means of a parallelogram linkage device.

I claim:

1. Method of separating pressed boards pressed on loading plates in a daylight press, said method comprising loading the material on loading plates at a loading station, moving the loaded material on said plates to a pressing station, pressing the material into pressed boards smaller than the loading plates, while on said plates, moving the plates, with the underface of the pressed boards held by force of adhesion to said plates, to an emptying station, separating the pressed boards from the plates by applying to the upper faces of the pressed boards a downwardly directed force exceeding the force of adhesion between the underface of the boards and the loading plates, to seize the boards and the plates, and pulling away the loading plates from under the pressed plates to separate the boards from the plates and finally moving the pressed boards to a discharge station.

2. Apparatus for separating pressed boards and the like from loading plates in a press, comprising a transfer frame, a loading frame for material to be pressed, displaceable vertically in said frame, a daylight multi-plated press arranged adjacent said transfer frame, said loading frame having loading plates for said material and being adapted to be moved into said press, an emptying frame arranged adjacent to said press, means for pulling the plates with pressed boards thereon into said emptying frame, downwardly directed means for seizing, separating and holding the pressed boards from said loading plate, in said emptying frame, a transfer frame adjacent the emptying frame for receiving the emptied plate, means in said emptying frame for discharging the pressed boards and a lift plate for receiving the pressed material, secured to said emptying frame.

3. Method according to claim 1 wherein the seizing of the pressed boards is effected by a bellows.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the seizing of the pressed boards is effected by a profiled substance.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the seizing of the pressed boards is effected by a platen.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the seizing of the pressed boards is effected by a suction cup.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the seizing of the pressed boards is elfected by a pin board.

8. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means for separating and holding the pressed boards in said emptying frame comprises a plurality of seizing members for grasping the pressed boards, common control means for said members, said seizing members having a grasping force greater than the adhesive force between the plates and the pressed boards.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each said seizing member is a bellows.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said each seizing member comprises a lever arm and an element secured thereto adapted to grasp the board.

11. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each said seizing member comprises a lever and a platen secured thereto.

12. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each said seizing member comprises a parallelogram linkage and a suction cup secured to said linkage.

13. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each said seizing member comprises a parallelogram linkage and a pin board secured thereto.

(References on following page) 5 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Biklen 156584 Preusser et a1 156563 X Welch 156-288 Danton et al 156-313 X Clausen et a1 156557 X Bacon 156-557 3,672,516 6/1972 Nordstrand 214--8.5 SS 3,682,744 8/ 1972 Person 29--200 D HAROLD ANSHER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

214-8.5 D, 8.5 SS 

